1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a lever-type connector mountable on a panel and to method for mounting a lever-type connector into a hole of a panel.
2. Description of the Related Art
A lever-type connector that is mountable on a panel is disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 9-245886. This connector has a male housing that is mounted in a mount hole of a panel beforehand and that is held in a standby state. A female housing is engageable with the male housing and has a lever that can be operated for properly connecting the two housings.
Part of the female housing and the lever project at the outer side of the panel and require an operating space. However, the connector may be mounted to a panel, for example, near a hinge of a door of an automotive vehicle, and sufficient space cannot be ensured around the panel when the door is closed. Thus, it is difficult to use the above-described lever connector.
A construction has been considered for connecting the two housings at the outer side of the door panel beforehand and then mounting the already connected housings into the mount hole of the panel so that the two housings and the lever are at the inner side of the door panel. In this construction, locks that engage the mount hole are at the rear end of the male connector housing and a receptacle is at its front end. The lever is mounted pivotally on the male housing and is held at a standby position beforehand so that entrances of cam grooves of the lever open forward. The female housing is fit lightly into the receptacle in this state so that cam followers of the female housing enter the cam grooves. The lever then is pivoted toward a connection position to connect the housings. The locks at the rear end of the male housing then engage the edge of the mount hole and the lever-type connector is accommodated at the inner side of the panel.
A mount hole normally is formed in a panel by stamping the panel with a press. It has been found, however, that the lever of the above-described lever-type connector is likely to get caught by the edge of the mount hole if the lever-type connector is being mounted into the mount hole by one hand in a narrow space, such as a space between a vehicle body and a door hinge. Thus, a smooth mounting operation is hindered.
Contact between the lever and the edge of the mount hole during mounting could inadvertently return the lever of the above-described connector from the connection position to the standby position. This undesired movement of the lever during mounting could be avoided with a lever that is at the front end of the receptacle in the standby position and that is displaced backward to reach the connection position. However, the installer""s fingers may interfere with the lever at the front end of the receptacle in the standby position when the female housing is being fit into the receptacle, and thus may hinder connection.
The present invention was developed in view of the above problem and an object thereof is to enable a connector to be mounted smoothly into a mount hole and particularly to enable a second housing to be fit smoothly into a receptacle of a first housing with a lever at a first standby position.
The invention is directed to a lever-type connector to be mounted into a mount hole of a panel. The connector includes a first housing with a receptacle at its front end and a second housing that is fittable into the receptacle. A lever is mounted on the first housing and is pivotal between first and second positions. The lever and the second housing have cam means that cooperate as the lever is pivoted to urge the housings into connection with one another. The lever has a forwardly facing guide that is oblique to a mounting direction of the connector into the mount hole. The guide can be brought into contact with an edge of the mount hole when the lever is at the second position.
The oblique guide of the lever contacts the edge of the mount hole if the connector is displaced from the mount hole during the mounting of the connector to the panel. Thus, the obliquely inclined guide guides the lever-type connector properly into the mount hole, and a smooth mounting is achieved.
A rear surface of the second housing preferably is substantially flush with or before the guide when the lever is at the first position and when the second housing is fit in the receptacle. Thus, fingers of an installer do not push the guide while the installer fits the second housing into the receptacle, and hence, the second housing can be fit smoothly into the receptacle.
The cam means preferably comprises a cam follower on one of the second housing and the lever and a cam groove formed in the other of the second housing and the lever.
The housings may be connected with each other by pivoting the lever and the connected housings then are mounted into the mount hole of the panel.
The first position of the lever preferably is a standby position and the second position is a connection position in which the housings are connected.
The guide of the lever may be formed with at least one slanted surface inclined from an outer surface of at least one arm of the lever toward an inner surface thereof. The slanted surface will guide the second housing toward the receptacle to correct any misalignment during the initial phases of mating. In this way, an operation of fitting the second housing into the receptacle can be made smoother.
The lever preferably has an operable portion and two arms that extend from the opposite lateral ends of the operable portion. The guide is at front edges of the arms. A finger placing portion is at the front end of the operable portion and projects more forward than the guide. Thus, the lever can be pivoted securely by placing fingers on the finger placing portion.
The invention also is directed to a method for mounting a lever-type connector into a hole of a panel. The method comprises providing a first housing with a receptacle and a lever that can be pivoted between first and second positions. The method continues by fitting a second housing into the receptacle of the first housing with the lever held at the first position, so that cam means of the lever and the second housing engage. The method proceeds by pivoting the lever to the second position to connect the two housings with each other. The method further proceeds by mounting the connected housings into the hole of the panel. The mounting is guided by at least one guide formed on the lever which is oblique to a mounting direction of the connector into the mount hole and can be brought into contact with an edge of the mount hole with the lever held at the second position.
These and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent upon reading of the following detailed description of preferred embodiments and accompanying drawings. It should be understood that even though embodiments are described separately, single features thereof may be combined to additional embodiments.